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Slim Pickin's

Favoritz contest seeks specialty salads; winning recipes will end up on menu.

It's one thing to have your name in lights, but it's quite another to have it associated with a salad.

That's what Favoritz Restaurant at The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks (and its sibling in Woodland Hills) is offering with a "Fit and Fabulous Salad" recipe contest open to all.

Several winning entrants, as determined by the Favoritz culinary team, will have their salad creations featured, along with their names, as a "Star Special"q on the restaurant's menu. They also will receive a $50 restaurant gift certificate (more than enough, probably, to treat the whole family to a salad).

"It's mainly just what they think tastes good to them, something different--we don't want something like a normal Caesar salad," said Tom Kilcoyne, kitchen manager at The Oaks' Favoritz. "We've got one, our California salad, that has lettuce with fruit on it. That's a little different."

Kilcoyne said if response is good, the contest idea likely will drift into other food categories.

"It's just something to get our costumers excited," he said. "It lets them know that we care about them and want to get their input."

Entry forms are available at the restaurant, or may be accessed through the Internet at www.favoritz.com. The deadline to enter is Saturday. For more information, call 381-1124.

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Please take a moment to answer our survey: If you were to host a sophisticated wine-tasting event, what music would you select for the background?

A) Ballpark organ favorites.

B) A fifth-grade class drum and trumpet practice.

C) A mix of soft New Age and classical tunes.

There is no wrong answer, but there does seem to be a push toward selection C. And a leader in that direction is Gallery Records of San Rafael, producers of "Vintage Selections," a CD compilation of soft melodies being sold in about 30 wineries and tasting rooms, most of them in California.

Leeward Winery in Ventura is the first local winemaker to catch the "Vintage Selections" fever.

"It's a clever idea," said Leeward owner Chuck Brigham. "Music depends on the wine you're drinking. If you have a more intense wine, you might want more intense music. If you have music that's graceful, that's the type of wine you want."

The CDs, which Brigham said are selling well, retail for $14.95.

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Speaking of Leeward, the winery's spring open house and barbecue is scheduled April 4 and 5. There will be a vertical tasting of the winery's Edna Valley Chardonnay, including the 1995 and 1996 releases, along with the 1997 barrel selection. A surprise red wine is expected to be offered in an additional barrel tasting. The tasting will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The winery is at 2784 Johnson Drive.

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Food and its relationship to breast cancer will be the topic of a public symposium, "Breast Cancer and the Nutrition Connection," Saturday at Santa Barbara City College.

Educator and author Dr. Susan Love, medical director of the Santa Barbara Breast Cancer Institute, will give the keynote address, and Dr. David Heber, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, also will speak.

Local chefs will prepare a variety of recipes, and nutritionists will answer questions about the content, preparation and health benefits of each dish.

The program will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost is $25. The college is at 721 Cliff Drive. For tickets, call 565-2244.